This in turn leads to long-term community benefits like an increase in school retention, school and community safety and greater employment pathways.

Social Return of Investment - International Study

When it comes to hard dollar returns, few investments equal an investment in Big Brothers Big Sisters, according to the 2013 study from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that;

Participants will earn on average $315,000 more over their working life than those in the control group.

Participants are significantly more likely to give generously to charitable causes and volunteer their time to community work. They also achieved more positive life outcomes in the categories of life skills/personal well-being.

Generate an average social return on investment (SROI) of $18 ($23 for most disadvantaged) for every dollar invested

The 2011 BBBS US Youth Survey showed dramatic positive impact across these key outcome objectives, with all of these outcomes showing improvements of between 88% - 98%.

Additional research has shown after spending 18 months with their mentor, young people are:

45% less likely to begin using illegal drugs

27% less likely to begin using alcohol

52% less likely to skip school

33% less likely to use physical violence

More confident in their school work

Getting along better with their families

And for young people completing school, their job prospects increase dramatically, reducing their reliance on welfare and providing them with the opportunity to make a positive contribution to our society.

According to the study, our one to one matches are the driving force behind making a positive, lasting impact on children.